dpa
Zeneca
Germany shrugged off a host of absences through injury to win 2-1 in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday and stay top of their Nations League group.
Deniz Undav netted both goals in the opening period, first finishing off a superb move and then turning in Maximilian Mittelstädt’s cross.
Ermedin Demirovic, Undav’s strike partner at Stuttgart, hit the bar for the Bosnians after a long solo break at 1-0. Fellow forward Edin D?eko cut the deficit on 70 minutes after the visitors should have been out of sight, but Germany hung on.
Germany debutant Tim Kleindienst, Undav and the returning Serge Gnabry had efforts ruled out for tight offsides as Julian Nagelsman’s side edged towards the Nations League quarter-finals ahead of Monday’s game with the Netherlands in Munich.
“It was clear of course that Bosnia are a strong side. We took a 2-0 lead and things were quite calm, but then they scored and it made it a bit hairy at the end,” Undav told RTL.
Kleindienst, Nübel and Burkardtdebuts Captain Joshua Kimmich had labelled Germany’s injury list as “crazy” ahead of the trip to Zenica, with the likes of forwards Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz missing out.
Nagelsmann was forced to hand debuts to Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Kleindienst at the age of 29 and Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel after the serious knee injury to Marc-André ter Stegen.
Bayern Munich winger Gnabry was also back in the team for the first time in almost a year.
At the tight stadium holding less than 15,000 fans, Germany bossed the early possession even if the hosts had more half-sniffs at goal.
Germany midfielder Pascal Gross then fired just wide with a first good chance.
Undav, who opened his Germany tally on his first start in the 2-2 draw against the Dutch last month, netted on 30 minutes after Robert Andrich’s clipped ball forward and Florian Wirtz’s clever lay-off for the forward.
He scored his second just six minutes later, guiding home Mittlestädt’s low ball with one touch past home goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who plays in the Bundesliga for St Pauli.
There had been drama in between via Demirovic hitting the bar and Kleindienst’s offside goal in the small city just north-west of the capital Sarajevo.
D?eko makes it 2-1 Undav also had two half chances in an initially quiet second half and saw a possible hat-trick chalked off when Kleindienst was again ruled offside on video review.
The two-goal hero made way for debutant Jonathan Burkardt of Mainz midway through the second half, just before Gnabry was also denied by the offside flag.
Veteran Bosnia forward and skipper Edin D?eko, a year older than Nagelsmann at 38, had endured a frustrating night before heading in a corner as Nübel was slightly exposed low down at the far post.
The home goal meant the Zenica fans suddenly found their loud voices again but an equalizer never looked likely as Germany reasserted their authority and had a late penalty shout turned down.
Wirtz said: “We made it a bit difficult for ourselves, I lost count how many goals were offside. We should have won by more.” Bosnia are still without a win at the top level of the Nations League. Coach Sergej Barbarez, a Bundesliga star as a player, is also without a victory since taking charge in April.
Germany, who also beat Hungary 5-0 in Group A3 in September, can secure their Nations League quarter-final berth with a win against the Dutch on Monday, when Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann will take his turn in goal.
Wirtz added: “The Dutch play a lot of long balls and we could practise a bit for that today.”
